Europe

Tuesday 19th May 2026 – a walk into Interlaken….

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A bit wet overnight and showery into the morning but by the time we were ready to set off out, the rain seemed to have passed on by.

Starting off along the lake side and through the nature reserve….

we then turned inland following the river Aare for a good mile or so through open farmland and then the outskirts, until the weir marked our arrival in Interlaken…..

Interlaken appears to be an upmarket sprawling town with every designer outlet you could think of, dominated by two stations at either end both a hub of activity mostly feeding the tourist industry with lots of little branchlines into the mountains. Lots of open spaces and small well tended gardens add interest to the mostly modern shops and hotels, mixed in with the old….

In the very centre is a huge open field where a constant stream of paragliders come in to land after gliding down through the valley from Harder Klum the 1300m mountain sitting behind Interlaken. Here we had a break and watched the continuous perfectly executed landings with the Jungfrau (4158m one of the highest peaks in Switzerland and claiming the highest railway station in Europe at 3354m) as the spectacular backdrop….

An absolute beauty of a mountain….

Having had our fill, we set off on the same route for our return to site, arriving almost simultaneously with a few drops of rain. A little later as it had dried up again we popped down to the Lakeside for a last little walk and to enjoy the aftermath of the setting sun….

Today’s stats:

  • Miles walked – 9
  • Cookies for the way back – £7.00
  • O/N – £28.00

Monday 18th May 2026 – driving through Switzerland to Interlaken….

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A little cloudy today but mostly dry for our drive from Vaduz to Interlaken in Switzerland. With the constant back drop of snow capped mountains we made our way, mostly through valleys, so not quite as dramatic as earlier drives but a good bit quicker. We had hoped to take a few stops at the various lakes along the way but it would have meant detours into unknown villages and so we opted to stay on the main road – though we did catch glimpses of Walensee from one of the rest areas on our route…

By mid afternoon we were settled on our Campsite, just outside Interlaken on Lake Thunersee and enjoying an afternoon stroll along the lake….

The east end of Lake Thunersee is a nature reserve with a lovely gravel walkway hugging the shore before heading inland a bit along River Aare….

At the end of the nature reserve we about turned and followed an off shoot of the path out to a viewing point at the end of the lake….

Here we enjoyed a lovely bit of solitude in the sun with just the sounds of birdsong and lapping water and marvelled at the unique shade of blue and clarity of these Alpine waterways before heading back to site along the way we came….

Today’s stats:

  • Miles driven – 133
  • Miles walked – 5
  • Country No – 8
  • Groceries – £52.74
  • O/N – £29.82

Sunday 17th May 2026 – a day in Vaduz, Liechtenstein….

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A lovely sunny day as we leave Austria behind and dip our toes into Liechtenstein for a night. My overriding impression was the lushness of this small country completely enveloped by the Alps. The road bobbed in and out of Switzerland with little fanfare just the two countries emblems – the border actually running down the middle of the Rhine as it snakes it’s way down from Germany.

We easily found our park up – a rather scenic train station car park bordered by the small captital of Liechtenstein, Vaduz and the Rhine….

We headed straight into Vaduz and enjoyed a wander around the pristine town, an interesting mix of new and old architecture but all immaculately presented….

The stunning church with it’s cool interior…

The main pedestrianised square and an obligatory Lindt Chocolate shop and yes we did….

High above us the Princely home and castle – home to the Liechtenstein Royal Family, is perched on the hillside overlooking the Capital….

It didn’t take very long, exploring the capital in full so instead of returning to the van we wandered along the footpath / cycle path which shadows this stretch of the Rhine….

Stunning and incredibly peaceful an absolute joy to walk, especially on the lower path which is cycle free and Tilly could happily potter off the lead. We ventured across the footbridge, marked with the national borders and wandered along the Swiss side for awhile before returning for a very peaceful and free night courtesy of the kindness of the country of Liechtenstein….

Today’s stats:

  • Miles driven – 76
  • Miles walked – 6
  • Countries – 3
  • O/N – free

Saturday 16th May 2026 – a lovely walk up the Rosengarten Trail from Imst….

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A bit damp overnight and into the morning as we gathered ourselves together to move on a little further through the Alps. This time though the journey was mostly Autobahn and along the valley floor and by the time we had arrived at our campsite for the night in Imst the sun had joined us.

Not to waste the sun we set straight off, through the village to the start of the Rosengarten Trail (not sure why it is called this as we didn’t see any roses) as recommended by the campsite owner….

Well I would say that the word trail is a little bit on the soft side for what actually followed as we instantly started to climb up some rough hewn steps and a long various hanging plank walkways, following the course of Schinderbach Waterfall….

It was a pretty strenuous climb and though she never complains or visibly seems to tire, poor little Tilly’s legs must have felt it – I know mine did….

As we neared the top, spectacular mountain views could be glimpsed down the gorge and over the trees….

Still we pressed on, no choice really as I think it would be a much trickier hike back down the way we had come….

Beyond this first hill there is the opportunity to continue upwards to the small village perched high above Imst but we have had enough and chose to return to the site via the steep but much less perilous footpath away from the gorge.

A challenging but beautiful walk and the views well worth it….

Back on site (Camping Acktiv Imst) the views are non too shabby either….

This is our last day of our incredible journey through Austria and I realise that we have hardly scratched the surface – but I believe it is always good to leave something worth returning for.

Todays stats:

  • Miles driven – 82
  • Miles walked – 6 (vertical!)
  • Fuel – £80.63
  • AdBlue – £14.02
  • O/N – £19.63

Friday 15th May 2026 – driving across to Mayrhofer….

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Still damp again this morning as we prepared to head off a bit further north and west to Mayrhofen. The main part of our journey was a series of mountain passes, firstly taking us over and through the Felbertauern Pass and Tunnel (Toll) where we again drove up into the magical snowy landscape and the accompanying drizzle turned into light snow at the highest points…

A stretch of valley road from Mittesall to the pretty village of Wald im Pinzgau with it’s tidy church and typical Austrian spire…

At this junction the sat nav had designs on us creeping up another mountain pass as a bit of a short cut however it quickly became apparent that it was not at all suitable for us as the road quickly reduced to single track and there was a sign prohibiting vehicles over 2.5t. We parked opposite the church and as the sat nav wasn’t being overly helpful I went and fortunately found some one with sufficient english to point me in the right direction, which did still involve crossing a high pass but at least it was suitable.

Off and up we went, passing Krimml Waterfall, Austria’s highest on the way….

Onwards and upwards (another toll) as we drove over Gerlos Pass and up into the snow again….

The last bit of the journey was event free and on the Autobahn and so we soon arrived in the village of Mayrhofer where it kindly stopped raining and allowed us to get our for a little wander….

Not the most interesting of villages, very geared up for either the winter snow or the summer hiking / cycling with a few bars and restaurants for when you are taking some down time from active outdoor pursuits, but pleasant enough for a nice walk.

We had originally thought to stay a couple of nights but having wandered around we have decided to move on again tomorrow – not least of all because it was a very expensive (for me) site. Even though listed as an ACSI site which should cost 27 euros for the night they insisted that they could only charge on this system for 2 people, making it a hefty 37 euros after environment tax of 4.50 and 2 lots of tourist tax at 3.6 euros – not impressed.

Today’s stats:

  • Miles driven – 84
  • Miles walked – 6
  • Tolls – £23.05
  • O/N – £32.04